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Andrew Bynum down to his playing weight, inching closer to return
By Jason Lloyd Published: October 17, 2013
Andrew Bynum watches from the bench in the second quarter of Thursday's preseason game against the Pistons. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
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CLEVELAND: Andrew Bynum is down to his “game weight,” a league source said, and continues to inch closer to a return to the court with the Cavs. Bynum has hit every milestone the team has set before him without any setbacks, including participating in 3 on 3 half-court scrimmages with teammates during Wednesday’s practice.
One of the next steps will be a full contact 5 on 5 practice, but that isn’t likely to happen for at least a few more days. The Cavs are in a stretch of playing games every other night, meaning they likely won’t have another physically demanding practice until after concluding the preseason schedule Wednesday at Charlotte.
Bynum weighed more than 300 pounds when he signed with the Cavs, but has lost all the necessary weight. He was listed at 285 pounds during his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Cavs have been deliberately cautious with Bynum since he missed all of last season because of his knees. Greg Oden, who is trying to return to the league with the Miami Heat after missing four years with knee problems, suffered a minor setback shortly after his first practice. The Heat had to hold Oden out of practice after he had some swelling in his knee.
Bynum is happier now than he has been in a long time, a second source said recently. A league executive from an opposing team, who has studied Bynum and is familiar with his history, told the Beacon Journal over the summer that Bynum seemed to grow tired of Kobe Bryant "constantly in his ear. I think he just got sick of (Bryant)."
The Cavs aren't putting Bynum on any sort of timeline, but provided he doesn't have any setbacks, his debut is clearly inching closer. The Cavs open the regular season Oct. 30 at home against Brooklyn.